Top positive review

If you've got a compatible (ANT+) GPS device (that perhaps you use for running) and want to add some bells and whistles for cycling this is a relatively cheap way of doing it. It offers speed and cadence via two magnets (one on the pedal and one on a spoke) and a small device that attaches to the frame.

Fitting is straightforward but needs to be aligned properly so worth searching online as there are a number of video clips that will guide you. Once fitted, the watch will automatically recognise the device in the same way as it would a Heart Rate strap. All you then need to do is to alter your display to show the cadence and speed fields and go cycling!

Most devices will already have the ability to pick up speed via GPS so this will replace that calculation. The benefit being that it should be more accurate and faster to respond (not having to rely on a GPS signal from 13,000 miles above us) and also works on a turbo trainer indoors if that's your thing.

Cadence is simply the speed at which you're turning the pedals. So why does it matter? From a personal perspective, it's helped me to use the gears better. Average cyclists tend to have a cadence of around 60 RPM, the pros average around 80. What I found was that on my setup 70 was about right and the way to achieve that was to use lower gears which was easier on my legs (so improving endurance) and my overall speed has increased as I'm using my muscle power more efficiently. I therefore tend to try to keep my cadence at 70 or above now rather than focus on going as fast as I can.

So for me a good purchase that has enhanced my cycling and gives me more stats to pore over afterwards!

Top critical review

I use a Garmin 300 and love reviewing training. I use the wahoo sensor on my other race bike and used this Garmin sensor for the first time yesterday. It was easy enough to set up..I left the arm down and had green lights and red lights confirming everything was fine....until yesterday...when it decided that it didn't want to record cadence.This was / is annoying though far from the end of the world. The speed sensor works fine and with heart rate and elevation/GPS it's still a great thing.It's a shame that Garmin don't spend a bit more money making quality items rather than scrimping on some areas and consequently receiving poor reviews. I'm not going to send this back...I can live without knowing cadence though with hindsite I would have bought Wahoo speed and cadence monitor as it works flawlessly on my other bike and has done so for the past 8 months.

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

If you've got a compatible (ANT+) GPS device (that perhaps you use for running) and want to add some bells and whistles for cycling this is a relatively cheap way of doing it. It offers speed and cadence via two magnets (one on the pedal and one on a spoke) and a small device that attaches to the frame.

Fitting is straightforward but needs to be aligned properly so worth searching online as there are a number of video clips that will guide you. Once fitted, the watch will automatically recognise the device in the same way as it would a Heart Rate strap. All you then need to do is to alter your display to show the cadence and speed fields and go cycling!

Most devices will already have the ability to pick up speed via GPS so this will replace that calculation. The benefit being that it should be more accurate and faster to respond (not having to rely on a GPS signal from 13,000 miles above us) and also works on a turbo trainer indoors if that's your thing.

Cadence is simply the speed at which you're turning the pedals. So why does it matter? From a personal perspective, it's helped me to use the gears better. Average cyclists tend to have a cadence of around 60 RPM, the pros average around 80. What I found was that on my setup 70 was about right and the way to achieve that was to use lower gears which was easier on my legs (so improving endurance) and my overall speed has increased as I'm using my muscle power more efficiently. I therefore tend to try to keep my cadence at 70 or above now rather than focus on going as fast as I can.

So for me a good purchase that has enhanced my cycling and gives me more stats to pore over afterwards!

0Comment|
15 people found this helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

Received this nice and quickly and being an original Garmin product, arrived in there usual box.Fitted to my mountain bike as a second device and though quite a tight fit with the style of bike etc, have used it and it works fine, left it on auto and it set it self up for wheel and crank size.Easy to fit on the bike anyway, just take it steady and don't tighten the cable ties fully until happy with it's position and checked that it works ok.Only thing I had to play about with was the cadence magnet, as my crank isn't flat on the near side to the sensor, so luckily had some rubber strips to pack it with.Just a shame about the cost but then your paying for the name and I haven't come across anything to take it's place!

0Comment|
One person found this helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

This is simple to install and team up with your Garmin, and provides some useful information. I was surprised how much it blends in on your bike, and I soon did not notice it there. The weight is not too bad either, especially for something so simple to install. I don't like the cable tied magnet on the crank arm (hence the 1 star dropped), but you can get magnets for a couple pound on ebay which do the same job with much less presence.

Out on the road, it provides Cadence speed simply and wirelessly. I use cadence a lot (I can't afford a power meter, and even if I could, there is little or no power to register anyway!), and I like the simplicity of this. It was cool that within a mile the Garmin beeped to say it had worked out my wheel size from my speed and cadence- I love things like this. I also love the fact it enables you to use your Garmin on the turbo as well- a nice point, especially during the winter.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

I just wanted to agree with some of the other reviews and add my own recommendations to anyone that purchases this in the future. This is a great product, really easy to fit and I've now got 2 sets for 2 bikes, although switching between the 2 means doing a rescan on my Forerunner 305. But it's great and I upload all the stats to mapmyfitness.com which do some really good graphing and route mapping, as well as allow comparisons with friends, or just yourself which I find interesting and useful.

My main advice for this however is the pedal crank sensor. This does indeed fall off pretty quickly as mentioned by some other reviewers, so I'd highly recommend that you gaffa-tape this sensor on. It won't interfere with the magnet, but it'll save you losing this sensor after going out a couple of times! I'm not sure at what stage I lost the sensor from my first setup, but the last one I bought is now safely taped to the bike. I also taped on the spoke sensor just to make sure it doesn't slide, although I don't think there's much risk.

Really great product, and I think also a must have if you already have a Garmin GPS watch or bike computer. I'm not sure if the GPS is more accurate with speed and so on, but the cadence is useful for tweaking your training, and when the GPS signal is poor (which is surprisingly often I find), then you still get a speed and distance recording which means I can always jump straight on the bike without having to wait for a signal (which can take 5-10 minutes).

Definitely 5 stars, although I reckon Garmin should ship a small roll of tape to secure the pedal crank sensor better!

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

I use a Garmin 300 and love reviewing training. I use the wahoo sensor on my other race bike and used this Garmin sensor for the first time yesterday. It was easy enough to set up..I left the arm down and had green lights and red lights confirming everything was fine....until yesterday...when it decided that it didn't want to record cadence.This was / is annoying though far from the end of the world. The speed sensor works fine and with heart rate and elevation/GPS it's still a great thing.It's a shame that Garmin don't spend a bit more money making quality items rather than scrimping on some areas and consequently receiving poor reviews. I'm not going to send this back...I can live without knowing cadence though with hindsite I would have bought Wahoo speed and cadence monitor as it works flawlessly on my other bike and has done so for the past 8 months.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

Easy to setup with my forerunner 310xt. The sensor can be used to report cadence, which has added to my training routine and improved my speed dramatically.Setup with my garmin took less than a minute, there's no need to enter wheel sizes on my setup and the 310xt works everything out automatically.Once it fitted, there's no need to do anything further, as soon as the wheels /pedals are spun, the unit wakes up and is auto detected.Plus point is that I can also now train indoors on a turbo trainer. No more excuses

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

I purchased this because the previous one I had was broken when I had a minor accident on the bike and my foot caught the sensor and the arm broke off in the spokes and bent one of my spokes.The unit is very easy to set up but if you want to see the set up lights on the unit it is best done in low light as they are not very easy to see. The stay on my bike is quite close to the wheel so the arm has to stick up in the air. This makes it vulnerable to damage if either the arm or sensor on the wheel move out of position.If you have a carbon bike make sure you put protective tape around the frame otherwise the ties will damage the paintwork. In fact it's probably a good idea on any bike frame.The sensor is connected to my Garmin Edge 800.I have three of these now and the Garmin will pick up each one providing you tell it which bike you are using.It is also useful for training when you use either a turbo trainers or rollers as it will give the distance and speed cadence etc. Just turn off the GPS on your Garmin. Useful accessory.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

I have 2 bikes which I use for road / x country, and bought this to fit on the second bike, so as it is simple to obtain data on rides using either bike. Fitting the unit on both occasions has been easy, and so far (6 months) they have both been completely reliable, despite using in very wet and muddy conditions on several occasions, and using a pressure washer. I use a Garmin Edge 800, and the only drawback is that the units do need linking whenever I switch bikes, but in reality that only takes a few moments.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

I have a Garmin 910XT, which this syncs to perfectly. A bit fiddly to fit, but found it helpful to download additional fitting information by searching for it on the internet.

I have two of these, one for my road bike and one for MTB. The sensor fitted solidly to the crank on the MTB, but I was less confident of how secure it was on my road bike due to the design of the crank. It has been working great on both bikes, including when using on the turbo trainer for cadence training (although you do get some very strange analysis due the GPS even after stating that I am indoors!).

The bad news is I realised after returning from a triathlon this weekend, which involved some really bad roads, that the cadence sensor had disappeared off my Road Bike (leaving the mounting sticky pad still there, so it must have worked loose or become brittle and broken off. However, the good news is that you can get replacement parts (via Amazon)....this does imply, that this is a common occurance which could prove costly in the long term if I keep having to replace them!

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

Yes, this converts your FR50 or 60 into a cycle computer, all without the need for a GPS device. And it's robust; I've had mine for years now. And it monitors your cadence, so if you're on a turbo trainer, or are aiming for a particular cadence, it's just the job.

For a runner who's got a compatible Garmin device and who wants to get more out of their cycling, it's just the job. And if you're a GPS addict, remember that this will work straight from the garage without searching for a signal, will tell you your cadence, will tell you your speed with a far better responsiveness than GPS, and is equally happy indoors on a turbo trainer.